Brightseed

Brightseed is a bioactives company that utilizes artificial intelligence to discover and map natural compounds in plants and their connections to human health benefits. Founded in 2017, the company's proprietary AI platform, Forager, systematically identifies bioactive compounds and predicts their potential impact on human biology. As of 2024, Forager has mapped over seven million compounds from plants, fungi, and bacterial strains across 23 human health areas.

Brightseed's main product offering is Brightseed Bio 01, a novel dietary hemp fiber ingredient formulated to support gut health in functional foods, beverages, and supplements. Derived from upcycled hemp hulls, Bio 01 contains two bioactive compounds, N-trans-caffeoyltyramine (NCT) and N-trans-feruloyltyramine (NFT), which have shown promise in supporting gut barrier integrity in preclinical studies. The company launched Bio 01 in October 2022 and introduced a certified organic version in March 2023.

In addition to developing its own ingredients, Brightseed offers its AI-powered discovery capabilities to partners in the food and consumer health industries. The company's business model includes data services and the development of novel bioactive ingredients. Brightseed operates two main facilities: a Science Center in South San Francisco, California, which houses its plant library and compound discovery efforts, and a commercialization center in Raleigh, North Carolina, focused on ingredient production, manufacturing, and clinical validation.

Key customers and partnerships

Brightseed has established partnerships with several major companies in the food and nutrition industries. These include Danone, Ocean Spray Cranberries, and Pharmavite, the maker of Nature Made vitamins.

In October 2022, Brightseed announced a partnership with Puris, a plant-based food company, to develop BioCrisp+, a protein crisp ingredient incorporating Brightseed Bio 01. Additionally, Brightseed has worked with olam food ingredients (ofi) to explore bioactive compounds in garlic and black pepper varieties.